Water-tight pipe conduit



Aug. 28, 1923.

J. 1W. LTIMER WATER TIGHT PIPE coNnulT Filed Nov. 18 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Intor Aug( 28, 1923.

4its

Patented Aug. 28, ll923.

JOHN wivr. LATIMER, or CLEVELAND,

oHro, AssrGivoR To l. JoHNseivrAiwiLLnl.

INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION OF 'YORIL warnariorrir PIPE ooNnUrT.

Appiication inea November is, i919.' seriai 115338388.,

To @ZZ/whom t may concern.

Be it known that LJOHN lV. Lumina, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica., residing at Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful VImprovements in lVater-Tight PipeConduits, of which the following is a specification. 'Y

. My invention relates to conduit systems for containing and protectingunderground fluid carrying pipes and the like from the action of wat-er.and' moisture or" earth and for reducing as far as possible the transferof heatflfrom such pipes, and'vice versa;

There are two kinds of systems. Firstthose commonly employedV where anumber of more or less scattered buildings are heated from a singlesteam plant or boiler The pipes conveying steam or hot house. water fromthe boiler planttov the various build-ingsfare buried in the ground and,to prevent great transfer ofheat, these pipes must be surrounded byth'ickbodies of heatnon-conducting materials. This material is usuallyfriable and liable to absorb moisture, which will destroy its insulatingqualities. Consequently it must be protected by a strong, watertightenvelope, vsuch as a series of larger iron pipes or conduits. On accountof the great movement of the steam pipe due to expansion and contractionand on account of the lesser movement o'lr the conduit due to Yexpansion`and contraction Y (it being understood rthattliere'will be less heatcoming in. contact with theouter enveloping conduit on accounto'l" theinsulation), the steam pipe anchored to the conduit andy the conduititself is anchoredeither at the end or the center of the run;

vand a rather elaborate arrangementof eX- part ofthe cover andY onewall; of the eX- Apansion .p it and manhole structure;

pansion `joints and sections is neededfto permit of relative movementsof theparts,

under varying, temperatures, without de-4 stroying thewatertightcharacter oft'helprotecting structure..

Seconchpipe systems carrying chemicals i or retrigeratingsubstances,such as sulphur;

dioxide or ammonia, also, airlines connecting` the central vplaiitwithbuildings wherein refrigeration or air rapparatus i'sused. The pipesconveying thesev fluids from the central plant tothe various buildingscontaining refrigerators, chemical apparatus .or air driven machinery,are buried in the ground and' to prevent great transfer of' heat theystructure.

enlarged scale of a portion of the must be surrounded by heavylbod'iesof-heatnon-conducting materials. These materials are likewise fniable.and liable to absorb moisture which will destroy theirinsulatingqualities. They,r also, must be' protected by. 1 strong,watertight envelopes suoli as a. series of? larger iron pipes orconduit; As these pipes and conduit are subjected; to varying caused byexpansion or contraction4 under varying temperatures, without destroyingthe watertightfcharaoter of the protecting Especially is this true ofboth systems when more or less of the; system is buried in mar'shyground or ground' liable to be flooded byheavyraina, or where theinvention is designed to` provide a conduit system, preferablyfof metal,which meets all these requirements. The Vbest form ofapparatiis atpresent known tome,- embodying my' iii..4

applied.

Fig. 2 is a detail horizontal section on an system, parts being brokenaway.

Fig. V3 is avertical cross section on line 3-3'-ofliig. 2, and Fig; 4 isa detail v.vertical section through Throughout the drawings Ilikelreference charactersindicatelikeparts.

v 1, represents the. boilerhouse orf lpower temperatures, there islikely to be a movement of one within the other due to eX- vsystem isburiedf beneath a creek,` river on any moving body of water.

plant whereinv a boiler, ref'rige'rating`mav chine, chemical compressingmachine or air compressor is located, and 2', a building to be heated,or in which a refrigerator is 1`o-` cated, a chemical plant orj one` inwhich an air driven'apparatus-islocated. 3, indicates generally a lineof conduit connecting these two, and 4, one of the expansion pits andmanholes in said line of condu it. Praten ably the conduit is composedof 'sections of iron pipe 3a, 3b, etc. held together by couplingsparatus is used. The remaining space in the Aconduit 3, between it andthe pipe or pipes, is usually filled with a loosenon-heatconductingmaterial such as asbestos, magnesia, asbestos sponge conduitinsulation,`

hair felt, fine regranulated cork, or molded vcork to it pipe or somesimilar heat-nonconducting substance, andthe pipe or pipes 6, aresupported substantially in the conduit by a series of saddles 7 7located in the conduit and grooved at 8, 8 to receive the balls orrollers 9, 9 on which the pipeor pipes 6 may rest. As grooves 8, 8extend parallel to the common axis of pipe and conduit, the balls willroll along these grooves and serve as anti-friction bearings for thepipe whenever the pipe moves.

10, represents one of the boxes 'forming the water-tight expansion oranchor pit and manhole stincture 4. It is preferably formed of metal.rl.`he expansion pit Structure both takes up] the expansion andcontraction of the pipe and conduit without interfering with thewater-tight character of the latter, as well as serving as anintermediate anchorage for both.

The pipes are anchored ate-their ends at 1 and 2, and as they expand orcontract at dif'- ferent seasons and time of day, some giveand-takemechanism must be included in the system to prevent rupture. This listaken care of by the expansion'joints located in the expansion pits vThe box 10, of such pit is preferably Yformed of plates 10, 10b,

` lap riveted together and spot-riveted Ytogether and spot-welded toangle irons 11,

at lthe corners-to stiften the structure.V The cover 12, is screwed downon gasket 13,'supported by angle iron 111', running aroundv the top otthe box and riveted to the walls thereof, so that a water tight closureis effected. Y

Y Lrllhe adjacent conduit sections' 3, 3b, enter the box 10, throughlholes in the sidewalls which are surrounded by stuffing boxes "15, 15,having the usual glands 16, 16, and

packing 17, 17. The st'u'iiingboxes make a water-tight joint with themanhole wallby reason of the gaskets18, 18 Lbetween them v landgsaidwalls which are compressed by bolts 19, 19, which pass through holes inthe Y cov walls,- in the stufling boxes, and in .the

. tlanges oi' the glands. 'Nuts 20, 2O on bolts 19,119securely hold thestutling box body to i thewall and :nuts 21, 21 serve to force glands16,16 down ony packing 17, 17 to form watertight unions with. theconduit sections proj ccting into` the' manhole. Preferably plates 23,23 are employed on the outside of the box to form a strong anchorage forbolts 19,19.

16, is a shutter ol'Y brick or metal or other material surrounding thepipe 6, passing through the shutter 16a, in order to keep the lillinglfrom falling out of the conduit and from around the pipe. Y

The portion of the pipeJ 6, lying in each expansion pit is given acurved'form or loop, as shown at 24, so as to create a'flexible sectionthat will bend and accommodate itself to linear expansion or contractionof the pipe or other parts. Y Y

When pipe 6 expands or contracts V,as steam is turned on or off, or fromother causes, the bent portions 24:, flex, and move about in theexpansionpit, 4, (Figure 1,) Yto suit requirements. sections can beobtained by removing cover 12. The movements of the pipe or pipes 6 aretacilitate'd by the ball bearings 9, rolling freely in grooves 8, 8Similarly expansion and contraction of conduit 3, is permitted by thesections sliding inQor out throughl stuihng boxes 15, 15, and withoutdisturbing the water-'tight character of the entire conduit system. Anyvinsulation materials in the conduit are consequently kept dry and in cThe elements of.

combination of a plurality ofconduit sec- Y tions of metal piping, amanhole structure connecting two-of said sections, a water- A tightexpansion joint atfeach connection ot a conduit section to the manholestructure and a fluid-tight pipe located in said c onl duit, anchored inthe conduit on either-side of the manhole structure, and havyingalclurlved, `flexible section located in the mano e. Y

2, In a system of water-tight conduits Vfor containing.- steam pipes andsimilar pipes subject tol contraction and expansion, the combination ofa pluralityr of sections of metal-*piping serving as such conduit,amanholestructure having stulhngboxes'mounted in'its walls in whichstuiiing boxes are fitted the ends of certain of said conduit formingpipe sections and a fluid-tightV pipe located in said conduit anchoredtherein on either side of vrthe manhole structure, Dand having a curved,flexible.V section located in said manhole structure. Y.

3. In a systeml of water-tight conduits for containing steam and otherpipes the combination with a metal box serving as an en Y pansion pitand manhole having an opening flange of the gland and adapted to holdthe in one wall and a section of metal conduit st-ung box to the Walland to force the projectng'through said opening, of a. stufgland intothe stung box. fing box and gland surrounding said con- JOHN W. LATIMER.

5 duit, :L gasket between the stufng box and Witnesses:

pit Wall, and a plurality of bolts passing T. J. GUY. through the Wall,the stufng box and the R. W. ELHOLT.

